The past year has been a time of significant change, shaped by shifting policy landscapes, legal challenges, and ongoing national conversations about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education and health care. As hospitalists, we care for patients with culturally rich identities, communities with varying access to care, and people with varying levels of trust in the medical system. As healthcare professionals with diverse backgrounds, we are united by a shared belief that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to achieve health and be treated with respect, dignity, and understanding. This commitment lies at the heart of the Hippocratic Oath we have taken as health care providers.
The Hospital Medicine Community Engagement Committee is committed to building and sustaining a strong framework for community engagement across SHM’s membership. This work includes strengthening pathways for hospitalists with diverse lived experiences and fostering an inclusive environment in which all hospitalists are heard, welcomed, and valued for the perspectives they bring. The committee will continue to offer educational opportunities to bridge gaps in healthcare delivery, promote equitable outcomes, and recognize that achieving optimal health for all patients may require different approaches to care and resource allocation. Through our scholarship and mentoring programs, we will continue to invest in the next generation of healthcare providers to foster meaningful relationships that extend into their early years of practice.
What is our “Why”?
Our members have different reasons and motivations for serving on the Community Engagement committee. Here are some reflections from several of our committee members.
Amira del Pino-Jones, MD
Dr. del Pino-Jones
As I reflect on my journey to and through medicine, two words resonate most deeply: access and opportunity. From a young age, I knew I wanted to become a physician. Although I consistently excelled academically, I often encountered subtle—and at times overt—messages suggesting that medicine was beyond my reach. Comments such as, “Medical school is tough. Are you sure you can handle that?” and “You’re going to college? Really?” planted seeds of doubt along my path. Those doubts were further intensified by the limited representation of physicians who shared my identity, particularly Black women, making it challenging to see myself reflected in that role.
Despite these challenges, I was fortunate to encounter mentors who not only believed in my aspirations but also guided me through the complex prerequisites of a medical career. They introduced me to pathway programs that expanded my understanding of medicine and provided invaluable research and clinical experiences—experiences essential to becoming a competitive medical-school applicant. I was not given an unfair advantage; rather, I was given knowledge, exposure, and access to opportunities that allowed my abilities to flourish.
Additionally, while pathway initiatives are critical, I have realized that they should not be treated as the ultimate objective. Sustainable change requires institutional cultures that foster safe working and learning environments, honor individuals’ lived experiences, and cultivate a genuine sense of belonging. These are instrumental in ensuring that talented physicians are not only recruited into medicine but retained and supported to persist and advance.
My experiences with pathway programming and retention efforts have profoundly shaped my purpose in medicine. I aspire not only to provide exceptional patient care and to excel as an educator, but also to create pathways for other qualified, talented individuals (particularly those who may lack access) to pursue opportunities they might not otherwise encounter. I want to accomplish this while also fostering environments where everyone can thrive. In doing so, I hope to help cultivate the next generation of physicians who can provide quality care to all of the communities we serve.
Keshav Khanijow, MD, FACP, SFHM
Dr. Khanijow
My enthusiastic participation in the SHM Community Engagement Committee stems from a dual desire to care for our patients and to create safe spaces for our practitioners.
Volunteering for grassroots LGBTQ+ organizations in Baltimore cemented an early link between medicine and social justice in my mind; I saw gay men give fake names to volunteer medical practitioners, and observed the interplay between HIV and AIDS, love, and livelihood. It’s no secret that healthcare disparities exist within the U.S. by race, geography, and socioeconomic status. As hospitalists, we care for people at their most vulnerable times, and all of us want to make sure our patients receive the best care we can provide. Beyond creatinine’s improvement with lactated Ringer’s, and fevers improving with ceftriaxone, we want to build a bond with our patients; it’s why many of us went into medicine. So far, I have been honored to contribute to SHM’s initiatives, including SHM Converge programming on caring for diverse populations and developing online education modules focused on LGBTQ+ health. I hope to continue these efforts with the goal of delivering care that reflects our deepest values as clinicians.
In addition to our patients, it is also important to recognize the well-being of our workforce—our fellow trainees and hospitalists. Growing up as a gay South Asian male in the early 2000s, there was a lot of self-doubt, and my desire to go into medicine seemed out of reach. At a time when same-sex marriage was being debated, and people could be fired for being gay, it was difficult to find “out” LGBTQIA+ role models in medicine. I remember the first time I met a hospice agency provider who was openly gay—it made me realize that I could potentially have a future life as a happy gay man with a partner and a cat. I also remember the first time I learned about “out” clinicians when I was in college—it made me realize that I could also find happiness within my career without hiding part of my identity. That representation in medicine was important for me to see. The experience made me realize why diverse representation within medicine is important. I use my voice on the committee to ensure that all SHM members have a safe space to be themselves and bring to medicine the richness that comes with our plural identities. It has been a privilege to be a part of the SHM’s prior work in recognizing cultural heritage months on social media and setting up Zoom meetups for various affinity groups.
My journey has shown me how deeply representation and belonging influence the care we provide. I am committed to advancing SHM’s mission so every patient—and every practitioner—feels seen, supported, and valued.
Josh Garcia, MD
Dr. Garcia
As a Latinx gay physician who grew up in a border town in South Texas, my journey to medicine was not easy. Raised by two working parents with no connection to healthcare, my community of peers and friends was imperative to achieving my goal within medicine. In addition, the makeup of individuals within popular culture and within medicine did not reflect my community or me. Thus, the reality of mentorship did not exist within my journey. My entry into medicine was often one of uncertainty, hardship, resilience, and discovery as I searched for my authentic self as a person and a future physician simultaneously.
Over a decade later, as I have settled into my roles as a hospitalist, husband, and father, I can honestly say I have reached a point where it is my turn to give back to my community, including my patients, my colleagues, and the future generation of physicians. Events over recent years have resulted in many people feeling unstable, uncertain, and overall uncomfortable. While the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion has been debated during this time, my personal journey has solidified the importance of these properties when pursuing my professional endeavors. I want to provide the highest quality of care for all patients and the highest quality of education for all learners while being authentically myself as a person, physician, and mentor. In the wake of many similar programs being shuttered nationally, I have committed myself to pursuing these endeavors through participation with SHM’s Community Engagement committee. Through our work, I hope we educate and empower our colleagues, trainees, and patients on the importance of using and sharing their own stories to enhance their own diverse communities through direct care, mentorship, and education. While the journey may not be easy, the unique opportunity we have as hospitalists to positively impact the lives of many makes this mission imperative.
Conclusion
Our experience has shown that bringing together individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives leads to better decisions and stronger, more collaborative teams. That collective strength directly enhances the care we provide to every patient. By fostering a culture where everyone feels respected and supported, we elevate our work and advance the well-being of the communities we are proud to serve. Our commitment to this work is unwavering, and our committee will continue to support SHM and its members in achieving their missions.
Dr. del Pino-Jones is an associate professor in the department of medicine in the division of hospital medicine, and associate dean of health opportunities and professional engagement at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo. She is also chair of SHM’s Hospital Medicine Community Engagement Committee. Dr. Khanijow is a hospitalist and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Dr. Garcia is an assistant professor of medicine and academic hospitalist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, N.C.